Yet another story is out today about recruiters and the lack of eager young Republicans vying for a one way ticket to Iraq. Parents from Garfield High School in Seattle took the step to deny recruiter's access to their children for a war they don't believe in. And rightfully so.
LINK
One of the Bush Administration's add ons to the now infamous No Child Left Behind bill was that schools were required to submit students names, phone numbers and addresses to local recruiters. Now this only seems logical if you are a parent who wants some other parent's kids to go off to do the fighting and dieing. Which is becoming an increasingly Republican attribute.
How right is it to tie in schools funding with their willingness to give up names of their students? Not very at all. In fact it is just plain wrong.
"Want your child's school to have money for text books?" Only, if you give up your child when they graduate.
This is just plain wrong, and no it is not a mandate, it is the beginning to slippery slop of military indoctrination.
The Army has yet to meet its recruiting goals this year, the Marines, Army National Guard, and Army Reserves are also having troubles missing recruiting goals since the beginning of the year.
Why? Where are the lines of rabidly patriotic Americans at the recruiting stations? Where are the parents' encouraging their children to enlist in the service and fight this so called "War on Terror"? With all the yellow ribbons I see on cars, I would imagine that there is a plethora of citizens willing to go to Iraq and see all the purple fingers.
But alas, they don't. The war has brought out a central tenant of people who hold Republican values. Surprised? Not me, these are the very people who want to take away Social Security, the safety net for our nation's seniors. These are the people who want to dismantle welfare programs so we can leave some of our most vulnerable citizens on the street to fend for them selves. These are the people who think that you can live on minimum wage. These are the people who think no one does live on minimum wage.
"I have my house that guy must just be lazy."
"Why do you Liberals hate America?"
"Oh, you got laid off? That's too bad; it was probably your fault anyway."
"He's hooked on drugs? Just throw him in prison!"
These are the people who want ideology instead of fact taught in schools. These are the people who want to tell a teenage girl what she can and what she cannot do with her body. These are the people who think that they are right.
These are the people who are, as one Republican best put it, "Divorced from reality".
Tying in federal funding for access to students is wrong. People know about the military service, if they want to join they will look the station up in the phone book. If they desire to serve, which many proud Americans do, they will find the recruiters; the recruiters do not need to find them.
Ladies and Gentleman prepare yourselves for the draft, it is waiting the wings, and it is ready to spring.